Iowa may implement California public alert plan

The public alert plan used to help find the two teenage girls who were kidnapped last week in California might be implemented here.Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Techau says the so-called “Amber Plan” was put together by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The alert plan makes use of the existing system for broadcasting severe weather and other emergencies. It was started after a tragedy in Texas.He says the system has great potential, and is in effect in several states already.Techau says his agency is evaluating the program and will consult with other law enforcement agencies as well as the state’s broadcasters to determine if it’s the kind of search tool that could and should be implemented in Iowa. Minnesota and Illinois have the plan in place already.